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Pasteurizing large amounts of straw is sometimes a pain. More straw means more hot water, and maintaining pasteurization temps usually requires a constant source of very hot water. Pasteurizing large amounts of straw without a propane burner and large can is impossible beyond a certain point, limited by the amount of hot water that can be produced in ~1 hour.

What about pasteurizing straw in an oven, without an oven bag? Oven bags limit the volume of straw to the volume of the bag. Does anyone think it would be possible to pasteurize a large amount of straw in a very large tub with water in an oven? Ovens provide relatively precise control over the temperature, and they can maintain this temperature indefinitely! Any comments, suggestions?

Well, thanks for the info. We can all agree that stovetop pasteurization works. But giant pots just aren't big enough! Let's talk about inside the oven methods. Does the method previously suggested sound feasible? Why not?

I can do 1x1x2 feet of compressed straw, chopped in a blender in a clothing bag in the trash can at a time (enough for 2-4 large bulk bins). I fill up my two pressure cookers (you can see them here):

with HOT water out of my tap and dump it into the trashcan ontop of the hot plate turned on high (300 degrees celcius) and then fill them both up again with hot out of the tap water and put them on the two big burners of my stove on high. If you put the lids onto the pressure cooker the water will start boiling incredibly fast. Add the two pots when then get boiling or almost boiling along with the straw and enough hot out of the tap water to get you to the right temps. You figure boiling waters 212 and out of my taps is about 120 so I can rasie or lower the temp of the water using that and the hot plate control. It takes me about 30 minutes to heat up 15 gallons of water to 160-175 degrees. Total of 2 hours to pastuerize like a 1/6th of a bail or something.

But the oven bag tek is meant for poo/compost usually. You have to get the water content right first, then bag up the straw with no water and then cook in the oven. It sounds like you just want tou put a big pot of water and straw in there. That would work but your oven isnt going to hold as much straw as a big trash can.

--------------------"life is like a drop of rain getting closer and closer to falling into a lake, and then when you hit the lake there is no more rain drop, only the lake."

LOl, i thought that the oven tek was when you turned the oven on, then opened it and knocked up ur jars, the rising heat would make the air move away and thus keep contams away when knocking up jars, always works (kinda) for prints....huh....gues i better go read up and see what ur talking about...and roadkill...how do u maintain the temps in that big ass pot? Wouldnt it be cooler towards the top and hotter towards the bottom? I wanna try straw soon, that's why i ask, might get a pot or just might go buy a can and try what agar posted up awhile back

Hey blue, scat tried that, it buckled under the pressure of the water/heat and he said he'd try silicone to fill in where the holes were and even suggest sodering and even putting another trash can inside....never said anything else about it...barrels are def. better

Quote:IGnosticAbhorI said:Hey blue, scat tried that, it buckled under the pressure of the water/heat and he said he'd try silicone to fill in where the holes were and even suggest sodering and even putting another trash can inside....never said anything else about it...barrels are def. better

-Gnostic

No it actually didnt have anything to do with the pressure or the heat. The trash can you see leaked water with only an inch of cold water in. Trashcans just arent meant to hold water (rain). If you can find a washtub then you wont have to do anything to water proof it but otherwise youll need to run silicone along the bottom and side seams. It works fine full of water now though heated up, no leaks. The silicone needs to go on the INSIDE though (the pressure pushes it into the cracks). I did both but only cause I tried the outside first and it didnt work. Just regular "100% Silicone" works fine, holds up to 400 degrees.

--------------------"life is like a drop of rain getting closer and closer to falling into a lake, and then when you hit the lake there is no more rain drop, only the lake."

My first time was in a rubbermaid with boiling water mixed with tap water, about half and half, with no thermometer. I did two bags this way, 5 tubs, no contams. You can easily get just as lucky as I did so dont fret yet. Especially if you used alot of spawn.

Large stew pots are like 10-15 bucks at walmart if your PC isnt big enough. Havnt seen pots much bigger, but theres always washtubs and trashcans..

--------------------"life is like a drop of rain getting closer and closer to falling into a lake, and then when you hit the lake there is no more rain drop, only the lake."